Ani Kalayjian

ATOP MEANINGFULWORLD MIDDLE EAST TRAUMA RELIEF MISSION TARGETS REFUGEES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS Workshops, trainings, healing, empowering and educating for continued psychosocial,physical, ecological and spiritual recovery in Palestine, Jordan and with Syrian Refugees Susan Smith and Dr. Ani Kalayjian     Imagine you are forced to leave your home in the middle of the night with nothing but your pajamas, witnessing people being shot to death in front of you, while hearing loud bombing and shelling at your neighbor’s home, not knowing where to go? How to save your life and protect your children and family? Imagine not having anything to eat or drink, and not being able to shut the hunger cries of your child? This is only a small picture of what is happening in Syria. ATOP Meaningfulworld, continuing its humanitarian outreach in the Middle East embarked in a Humanitarian Mission in May 2014, to transform and help heal some of these emotional wounds. Although our direct outreach was to 500 individuals, our indirect outreach estimated at 30,000. The focus of this “Empowerment for Peace Building” mission was to observe, learn, educate, conduct research, share, transform and heal the wounds of direct, collective, vicarious and intergenerational trauma. ATOP Meaningfulworld’s Team comprised of Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Susan Smith, and her daughter Dareen Qaddoumi. In Jordan we were joined by Kathy Hansen and her son, Kier Hansen. We first began working in Palestine, as the continued trauma has had a severe scars and The Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) reactions in the community, especially with the youth. We delivered workshops and trainings to Palestinian refugees and mental health, education, and community-based service providers in the West Bank’s Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, Al-Faraa Refugee Camp in Nablus, the Palestine Union of Social Workers and Psychologists in Al-Khalil (Hebron), and as well as to professionals at Bayt Sahour YMCA. Participants ubiquitously spoke of ongoing suffering, hardship, loss and trauma as a result of the 65-year Israeli brutal military occupation, and the hardships and difficulties of being land-locked and strangled by a 450 mile concrete barrier erected by Israel and condemned by United Nations General Assembly resolutions and the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Denied the ability to travel to the land of their birth, visit relatives, seek medical assistance or visit holy sites in Jerusalem. Palestinians have suffered and endured inhumane military domination in wholesale violation of the International Declaration of Human Rights for four generations. Workshop and training participants resounded with a clarion call to end the Israel occupation and the resultant collective, horizontal and individual chronic trauma they face daily. ATOP Meaningfulworld started with a full-day of training programs in Bethlehem, Palestine at Aida Refugee Camp’s Lajee Center. Aida Camp was established in 1950 predominantly by refugees from Jerusalem, and currently has a population 9,700. Dr. Kalayjian conducted two workshops, one with youth and the other with women who have experienced trauma of unjust imprisonment of their family members in Israeli prisons. She assessed mild to moderately severe trauma and PTSD symptoms. Adolescents expressed concerns about grades, economic hardship and the dearth of opportunities and daily stress of living with the Israeli-erected wall, and having to spend hours daily at checkpoints. That day, Dr. Kalayjian worked single handedly as two members of the team had been detained for eight hours without cause by Israeli security forces at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. The two Americans were interrogated repeatedly regarding the purpose of their trip and pried for the list of individuals and organizations they would be meeting. Israeli security went into their cell phone directories, email and Facebook accounts before releasing them. That evening our team regrouped and proceeded to Ramallah via the road and checkpoints for those without Israeli citizenship or in the company of an Israeli citizen. The trip from Bethlehem, which takes 30 minutes via the road reserved for Israelis, took more than two hours. Upon entering Ramallah city limits, an Israeli government sign warned Israeli citizens that it is against the law to enter the city, which it described as “dangerous to your lives.” After a restful sleep in the hilly and breezy city of Ramallah, we continued to Al-Faraa Refugee Camp, population 8,000, established in Nablus in 1950 by an influx of refugees originating primarily from the Haifa region of what is now Israel. There the team has the unique opportunity to introduce the 7-Step Integrative Healing Model to 20 male students ages 14-27. At first, the males were reluctant to discuss their emotional issues and when asked to fill out the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, many gave the knee-jerk response, “I have no problem, no trauma.” However, when encouraged over the course of the workshop participants began to open up and disclose pervasive challenges emerged regarding anger and resentment at the Israeli occupation, the wall, and the checkpoints. This unresolved trauma can and has manifested into Horizontal Violence, which occurs when oppression for many years results in a power imbalance whereby the negative response is directed at one’s community, family and self. Dr. Kalayjian faced some resistance in discussing forgiveness as an intrinsic part of the healing process and said, “The vicious cycle of violence continues unless replaced with positive thoughts, behaviors and emotions. War will not regain Palestine; killing will not secure peace, which is a short term reaction, and not a solution. We must come up with positive ways to deal with the frustration. Buddha said, ‘while killing a monster, don’t become that monster.’ In thwarting the cycle of violence in which the oppressed becomes the oppressor, whether through war, internecine violence, domestic violence, Horizontal Violence, familial dysfunction or self-destruction behaviors, she urged workshop attendees to transform themselves and limit the transmission of intergenerational trauma. She encouraged young people to use alternative, proactive and positive means to express themselves such as galvanize and gain global support and personal relief through Social Media. She encouraged every group to take an “Oath for Peace,” and every group without exception

ATOP Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Mission to Haiti: Follow up Community Healing and Meaning-Making for a Healthy Haiti Emily Bales, Dr Ani Kalayjian, Alexa Kauffman, Shayla Tumbling    Haiti has been in a state of turmoil for decades. The problems the people of Haiti face on a day-to-day basis are enormous. According to reports from globalissues.org, Haiti is ranked as one of the world’s poorest countries when it comes to economy, healthcare, and resource distribution (Shah, 2010). Even acquiring basic necessities such as food and untainted water is a daily struggle. Cholera has ravaged Haiti since the Earthquake back in 2010 and as many as 8,450 people have died from contaminated water (UN, 2014). These unresolved issues leave the people of Haiti in constant fear, unable to live their daily lives safely and in good physical and emotional health. Still today, four years later, Haiti is trying to rebuild and reconstruct these damages, but has made little advancement. As of 2013, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation reported that some 358,000 of the Haitian people still live in poorly maintained camps, because their homes are still in ruins (Schwartz, 2013). CBC also reports that a major portion of funding for reconstruction has been lost within a corrupt Haitian government, leaving the Haitian people nearly helpless in obtaining fulfillment for their basic human needs such a food, shelter, health-care and work. Unfairness from the government and the devastating earthquake are external forces, which creates the internal social and personal struggles that 99% of Haitians face. Association for Trauma Outreah & Prevention (ATOP) Meaningfulworld, is a not-for-profit NGO affiliated with the UN, which helps aid in emotional well-being of people who have experienced both political and ecological trauma. Meaningfulworld is dedicated to fostering a meaningful, peaceful, and just world in which every individual enjoys physical, mental, social, ecological, and spiritual health. A sense of meaning, peace, and justice, although unique to each individual, is achieved through a transformative journey that integrates knowledge and experience with a sense of responsibility and reflection. This transformative process is also attained through healthy relationships that nurture open, honest, and transparent communication, insight into forgiveness, love and spiritual connection, and active collaborations (Kalayjian, 2014). In Haiti we wish to inspire such communication and connection through workshops, group discussions, meditation, and energetic chakra balancing exercises. With the help of our 7-step the Biopsychosocial and Eco-Spiritual model of healing after trauma, previous teams were able to facilitate forgiveness and decrease the trauma symptoms (Kalayjian, 2012). The past eight ATOP Humanitarian Missions to Haiti, which began in 2010 immediately after the earthquake, have served over eight thousand survivors, including children. Our team has also been training students of psychology, social work, nursing, as well as faculty, administrators, lawyers, and teachers in the integrative healing model. As recently as 2012, there were still moderate levels of trauma, as we reach out to new communities who are still suffering. Through healing and forgiveness, the community will be able to recover, empower, and find positive meaning. As an aspiring psychologist, I, Alexa Kauffman, join the ATOP team in the hopes of bringing some emotional and spiritual healing to the people of Haiti. I currently am a student at Teachers College of Columbia University where I plan on graduating with a master in psychology degree in 2015. Past personal trauma has led me to understand my purpose in this world is to help myself, and then others create and establish meaningful connections in their life which can help bolster their resilience during times of trauma. As an American and lifelong New Yorker, I have been blessed to grow up in a place where my psychological and safety needs have always been met. With this gratitude, I would like to help share this sense of security with others around the world who struggle with feeling secure in their most basic of needs. I look forward to visiting Haiti, and working with the people in the continued effort to bring them some emotional relief. I, Emily Bales, am a first year student in the master program at Teachers College Columbia University. Dr. Kalayjian helped me on my personal path of forgiveness and introduced me to the Biopsychosocial and Eco-Spiritual model of healing, which has profoundly influenced my life. It is with this new sense of purpose that I join the ATOP team. My hope is that I can share this feeling of peace with the people of Haiti, and help them find the strength and peace within themselves, so that they can heal from the everyday traumas they face. My name is Shayla Tumbling, I am a graduate student completing my doctorate in Counseling Psychology. I have had the pleasure of participating in two previous Humanitarain Missions to Haiti and providing services to different communities. I love the ATOP mission & Humanitarian Outreach. Being able to volunteer & provide training and services to the international community fits in line with my life & career goals. I am Dr. Ani Kalayjian, President and Founder of ATOP Meaningfulworld, and Professor of Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Haiti has been in our hearts and souls and has motivated us to plan an outreach annually since 2010. We have a deep connection with the people, and we empathize with their suffering from the devastating earthquake, the political dysfunction, the horizontal violence, as well as the everyday human-made traumas. Our goal is to nurture a generation of conscientious Haitians who are motivated with love, inclusion, forgiveness, and unity to help one another. Our motto is: When one helps another, BOTH become stronger. Meaningfulworld Haiti team in 2012 Meaningfulwrold’s Kathryn Kaze in 2011 References Kalayjian, A. (2012). Mission Statement. Meaningful World. Retrieved 24 Apr.2014.<meaningfulworld.com> Kalayjian, A. (Summer, 2012). ATOP Meaningfulworld Psychosocial Rehabilitation Mission for Haiti: Healing, Ecology & Spirituality: Utilizing the 7-step Integrative Healing Model in Haiti. International Psychologist, 52(3) pp 24-26. Kalayjian, A. (2011, Spring) ATOP Meaningfulworld‘s Psychosocial Rehabilitation Training and Healing Groups: One-Year Follow-Up to the Earthquake in Haiti. International Psychology Bulletin,

ATOP Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Healing, Peace-building, and Mind-Body-Eco-Spirit Mission to Africa: Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi Victoria Alexander, Leysa Cerswell, & Dr. Ani Kalayjian 27 June – 15 July Press Release   On June 29th, 2013 the ATOP Meaningfulworld Humanitarian peace building, empowerment and healing team arrived in East Africa for a Mental Health Outreach Program organized in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi. Our team of volunteers came together from US, Canada, Rwanda, and Kenya, all trained in the 7-Step Humanitarian Integrative Healing Model through the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP) Meaningfulworld, an international humanitarian organization affiliated with the United Nations. ATOP has been working in Africa for over 5 years, including in Sierra Leone, Kenya, Rwanda, and DR Congo. This year we have added Burundi. The humanitarian outreach program will continue this work through healing circles, peace building workshops, empowering lectures and training programs, building on similar programs conducted in the past several years. These programs include providing young people with tools and guidance; working with women to transform their trauma; working with older adults and sharing tools for self-healing and encouraging them to find deeper meaning in their last stage of development; and working with the men to help them transform their generational trauma, as well as empowering them to share their feelings and work harmoniously with women. Members of the ATOP Meaningfulworld Team include: Dr. Ani Kalayjian (president and founder of ATOP Meaningfulworld), Victoria Alexander (Intern, ATOP Meaningfulworld), Leysa Cerswell (Secretary, ATOP Meaningfulworld), Haik Kocharian (award winning filmmaker and photographer), and Rita Alexander (Registered Pharmacist at Queens Hospital Center).   June 29th 2013, Kwangware, Kenya The Meaningfulworld team worked at Kwangware, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya that holds over 500,000 people. In the morning, we worked with the Youth Volunteers for Change (YVC) group led by Benjamin Mwenda. Close to 80 people participated ranging in ages 16 to 34. Each one of these young men and women were remarkably insightful, forthcoming, and intelligent. Nearly all of them have either completed some schooling, are currently attending school, or are planning to attend in the future. When asked to comment or give examples on The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz, many of them were eager to join the discussion and shared their experiences and insight. Many were excited to stand up and partake in the chakra balancing exercises. Once we completed the exercises, we joined in heart-to-heart-circle of gratitude and love. During this circle, many of the YVC members shared their comments and expressed their joy and happiness to our team. They were thanking us for traveling to their homes in the slums and working with them, and we thanked them for their everyday strength and courage. When asked to share, one of the participants said “wow, this is amazing.” They continued to add that workshops, such as ours, don’t happen often, and how appreciative they were; while for us, their participation alone was an inspiration. Some of the stressors and challenges that the young people faced were problems with their families, street life as orphans, vehicle accidents, their houses burning down, skirmishes in school, relationship issues, violence due to past political election in 2007, death of loved ones, and many other challenges that they face on a daily basis. Later in the day we had scheduled a workshop with the women in that same area of Kwangware. Over 30 women attended the healing session where their pain and trauma was transformed, not transferred. They shared their stories of health difficulties and being internally displaced (currently living in IDP camps) in 2007, due to post-election political violence. Other women lost their houses due to fire, and some were kidnapped and sent away from their homes. Many of these instances were due to conflicts between Kikuyu and Luo, just two of the over 42 tribes in Kenya. During this session many of these women shared their stories and released a tremendous amount of anger, pain, sadness, fear and frustration. We discussed how children grow up learning that their group “doesn’t interact” with the other group, which creates conflict, distance and often hate between the two groups. Many were reminded that love and forgiveness are instrumental in peace building, beginning with inner peace, and that forgiveness isn’t a gift to someone else, but a gift to oneself. Some women wanted to know how to forget the atrocities they faced, and Dr. Ani reminded them that by forgiving we do not forget. Rather we change the way we remember our suffering by developing a deeper positive meaning. It is important not to forget but to remember all of the positive lessons learned, while we commit to being change agents.   June 30, 2013, Kwangware, Kenya On June 30th, 2013 the team worked again in Kwangware with a group of elders. We worked with the KARIKA group, which stands for Kenyan Aged People Require Information and Knowledge. The members of this group were grandmothers and grandfathers who cared for their orphan grandchildren in the slum, as their children have died of AIDS. A dozen of dedicated women and one man gathered to acquire more knowledge on healing. This group had difficulties with their physical health due to their age and lack of medical services available. One of the women shared, “when you’re a single mother, you suffer a lot, and you don’t even know when you are sick.” They described their physical limitations often leading them to feelings of pain, sadness, then anger and frustration. We discussed how physical pain can lead to emotional pain and sadness, but that this sadness doesn’t relieve the physical pain, it only makes it worse, creating a second problem. Reframing, and changing one’s attitude was described and shared, which was welcomed by the participants. The group described some tools they could use to overcome these challenges. During this part of the day many of the women spoke about the importance of self-love, hope, and ‘to walk by faith and not by sight.’ Following the healing workshop, the